NJ college students tie missing person case to severed foot

A New Jersey woman went missing over a decade ago had her identity finally confirmed, thanks to the help of students from Ramapo College.

On May 21, 2017, a single foot with a sock and shoe were discovered by a resident in Pohatcong Township.

With such scant evidence, the usual methods of investigation proved unsuccessful in identifying whose foot it was. But then, in 2023, the State Police collaborated with the Ramapo College Investigative Genetic Genealogy Center. The partnership soon had a genotype profile with help from a California lab, and it was uploaded to various databases.

During the 2024 spring semester, it was genealogically researched by students in the Ramapo College Investigative Genetic Genealogy Certificate Program.

Identifying a victim

The students were able to put forward Maria Quinones Garcia as a potential match.

Garcia disappeared when she was 54 in 2014 and was last seen near the Lehigh River in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The Lehigh River flows into the Delaware River, near where the foot remains were uncovered.

After Garcia's children had their DNA tested, the remains were confirmed as Garcia's and the case was at last closed.

“Although the outcome for the Quinones family is tragic, we hope that Maria’s identification brings answers to her loved ones,” said Dr. David Gurney, the director of the Ramapo College IGG Center. “We are grateful for the opportunity to have made an impact here in New Jersey.”

Maria Quinones Garcia's case is the first one to be announced as closed since the New Jersey State Police and Ramapo College IGG Center began working together on cold cases.

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